


Happy

by noise_in_the_system



Series: Shoot One-Shot Collection [2]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fix-It of Sorts, Post-Canon, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:53:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24988606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noise_in_the_system/pseuds/noise_in_the_system
Summary: Inspired by the prompt: “Who wouldn’t be angry you ate all of my cereal and faked your death for three years!”
Relationships: Root | Samantha Groves/Sameen Shaw
Series: Shoot One-Shot Collection [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805632
Comments: 5
Kudos: 74





	Happy

Footsteps. Quiet, but not silent. She has always been a light sleeper, and the soft creak of the floorboards was more than enough to wake her.

Shaw slides out the gun she keeps under her mattress. Disturbed from his sleep, Bear picks up his head from where he is curled at the foot of her bed.

“Bleibst,” she commands softly. Bear’s head sinks back into the blankets with a satisfied whine. After making sure he stays, she stalks silently down the hallway and into the kitchen area on high alert.

By the time her eyes adjust to the light in the kitchen and she can make out a long-haired figure at the counter, the worst-case scenarios have already etched themselves into her mind. After three years, the remaining Samaritan operatives have found her. They are here to kill her—or much, much worse: put her through more simulations. They have come to disrupt her fragile reality once more, and this time maybe she won’t be able to maintain any grip on what is real…

The Machine told her that Samaritan was gone, but what if just a few were left? What if they have hunted her down? There is no way they will take her again, she decides. Not unless they plan on bringing her in without a pulse.

But wait. There is something familiar about the tumbling brown curls on the presence in front of her. Something familiar about the way the figure’s back is curled over the counter while still maintaining the grace of a ballerina. The air tingles with electricity when Shaw realizes who is sitting at her kitchen counter munching loudly on what remained in her box of Frosted Flakes.

“Root?” Shaw demands.

Immediately after she voices the name, she knows the figure can’t be her. Reality has become distorted again and this must be someone else. She curses internally for allowing herself to indulge in the beautiful lie.

But then the tall figure turns quickly to face Shaw. And it’s her.

Root waves lightly at Shaw before returning to her cereal.

“ROOT,” Shaw growls again as she stomps towards her. Standing across the counter, she slams the gun onto the counter in an attempt to express her anger, but Root only surveys her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“Hey, sweetie,” she says through a mouthful of cereal. “Sorry to wake you. I haven’t eaten since Wednesday, though, and I was going to pass out without some food. You do realize that Frosted Flakes do not make for a very balanced diet, don’t you, Sameen? Ugh, I would kill for an apple right now.”

Shaw’s fingers curl into fists as Root rants. She wants to choke her—she is sure of that, at least. She just has not yet decided whether her intent is homicidal or sexual.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she snaps.

“Why are you so angry?” Root inquires once she gulps down a massive scoop of cereal. “I thought you would be happy to see me. In your own way, you know?”

“Who wouldn’t be angry?” she detonates as she slaps her hand against the counter top. “You ate all my cereal and faked your death for three years! Where the hell have you been?”

Root glances up to her with a sideways grin. As she studies Shaw flirtatiously, Shaw identifies the changes three years have had on Root. Her face is thinner than Shaw remembers, and there are heavy dark shadows underneath her big brown eyes. Worse, there is a long scar tracing its way through her mouth. The white line fades away only an inch from her wide eyes which convey too much innocence for someone as dangerous as this woman is.

“What happened?” Shaw demands tightly. She can’t help reaching out for Root—can’t help gently stroking the scar that cuts through her lips. A spark of anger ignites at the thought of someone being close enough to cut her. She hopes they suffered for this. And if they haven’t yet, she would be glad to oblige.

But Root just smirks lightly and moves away from Shaw’s touch as she explains in a spuriously chipper voice, “Oh, you know me. Always making friends.”

“Root…”

“I’m okay, Sameen,” she says in a more serious tone. “I promise.”

“Good,” Shaw exhales after a minute of contemplation. She’s okay. She’s alive. And she’s here. Very quickly, before she can change her mind, she goes on, “Becauseimissedyou.”

She waits for Root to tease her, but instead Root just smiles warmly and whispers, “I missed you, too, Shaw. Now, how about you catch me up on what you’ve been up to while I finish this lovely meal.”

A hint of a grin dances across Shaw’s lips as she whispers seductively, “I think I have a better idea.”

That goofy excited smile that Shaw had truly missed over the last three years bursts onto Root’s face. Without even a second of contemplation, she pushes the cereal bowl out of their way and pounces towards Shaw. Neither of them notice or care when the ceramic bowl shatters against the floor. Shaw meets her halfway across the counter and their lips press together urgently. It had been much too long since they have been this close. It had been much too long since Shaw had felt that tug in her chest that draws her to Root; too long since, in her own way, she has felt happy.


End file.
